Sarah Haider: Islam and the Necessity of Liberal Critique (AHA Conference 2015) - YouTube

I'm reposting this great speech by ex Muslim leader Sarah Haider
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0plC24YuoJk


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Beautifying Islam

Conclusion:
If we Muslims believe that "true" Islam, which is genuinely aligned with the will of the Creator, must be fundamentally peaceful, comprehensively merciful and objectively just, then it is our duty to cleanse the traditional, literalist, classical Islam and purify it to make an Islam that is worthy to be called a beautiful religion.
Close quote.
Good luck with that. We need it to happen...
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4894/beautifying-islam


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Boing-boing: Anne as Berthe

Bernard (Christian Dent), Berthe (Anne F) and Robert (Lucas Roche-Poggi)

Janet (Bridget San Miguel), and Berthe (Anne)

From the Woroni review, here.  The play from 16-18 October.  Bien Fait, a tout!
Quote:
But while the three ladies do an impressive job of differentiating and subtly portraying what could have easily been trope characters, the real comedic touches of the play comes in the form of Robert and wry Berthe the maid (Anne Forsythe). Lucas Roche-Poggi as Robert perpetually delights with incredible facial expressions that conveys the emotive tones of the play – this was something much appreciated as this reviewer ne parle pas franςais. (But don’t worry – to all you English-speaking plebeians out there, English subtitles will accompany the play on a screen). Berthe as the long-suffering, yet resignedly pragmatic help (“No! New job, new problems. What’s the point?”) possesses a dry wit that is chock full of funny truths and wry observations.

At the Hong Kong demos last Wednesday

I put some photos and comments on the Xena blog site

Attention to detail...

Girls collecting rubbish. There were young folk going along spraying water in the air to keep protesters cool. HK democracy demo. There's also free drinks and snacks everywhere.

The crowds on Main St, Central

Happy crowds. No cops. Maybe 20-30,000

Impromptu talk about something or other...

... At the democracy demos in Hong Kong today

Japan: Kii Hanto pilgrim hike

Jing, John and I did the Kii Hanto pilgrim hike program via World Expeditions, 6-11 August.
Could we recommend?  Yes, for a one-off.  Fun to do once, but we wouldn't want to repeat.  Funny thing is just how little there is for the hikers, in terms of coffee shops (none), tea houses (abandoned), places to buy drinks (nope).  Our guide Alena (ex East German, ten years in Japan) said one day that there was a place that served tea and boiled eggs (nothing else...) and that it might be open.  It wasn't.  Weird.....  If it were China, there'd be noodle and tea houses at every logical stop.  And if you trek in the Himalayas, ditto.  Still, the countryside is lovely, when there's not a typhoon brewing, that is....
I forgot: Japan in vending-machine-crazy.  They are everywhere, always work and serve you anything form drinks, to umbrellas, beers and cigarettes.  On the trails, though -- and understandably -- there aren't many.  The few we came across, we pounced on, and drained them of their drinks.... cool, cool.... so lovely, we'd stand by them pouring in Yen and pouring down energy drinks...

Yunomine town in Kumano. Yoshinoya Ryokan (Inn) on the left

Forests as far as the eye can see

John, Jing and our guide, Alena

Abandoned tea and sake house on a pilgrim trail.  Empty sake bottles under the trees.
There were lots of abandoned Tea houses, and even abandoned villages,
speaking to the shift to cities and the fewer pilgrims.

A private plantation growing tea (Camelia Sinensis).  Each household in Japan's
country grows its own rice, veges, tea.  This is in the village that our guide,
Alena, has lived in for the last four years.

Honggu shrine, at the end of the first day's walk.

Back at Kumano, the boiling hot Onsen in the middle.
I burnt my fingers trying to get the eggs out.

You can boil eggs here in this super hot Onsen.  John checks the eggs.
We then ate them, with beers, at a next-door temple, run by the local
monk.  Fun.

Nachisan.  Waterfall in background

Nachisan.  The goddess Guan Ying (from China)

"The French": they take off before us, we overtake them,
and never see them again, even after waiting 2 hours
for a bus at the end of the 16 km walk.... It was through
a lot of gloomy forests, full of ghosts, Alena tells us,
so we thought they'd added to the ghost population.
"The French" and we, were the only people on the whole
of this 5-hour walk.

Nachisan Waterfall.  Just before the 16km walk
to Koguchi ("small mouth").

J and P at Nachisan

A shrine on the trail

Another shrine.  They dot the trails.

And yet another shrine

Little spring water sources...Japanese use them to wash hands.  I drink

On the pilgrim trail.  This one is called an "ascetic"
trail. Rather tougher than normal trails, though this
bit is pretty innocuous.  Parts of it were quite tough.

Flooded out on the  last day. The night before, that raging torrent was a trickle
of a stream.  The water was threatening the Ryokan, and they were about
to evacuate us, but we decided to leave for Osaka. We were driven out
by typhoon Halong, which closed roads and stopped trains.  We just made
it out in time on the bus, but then had a 3-hour taxi ride to Osaka, as the
trains had been stopped by the typhoon...

Safely in Osaka, after 3-hour taxi ride from Kii Tanabe.
An Asahi draft beer helps soothe

We stayed in the new and rather lovely Marriot, which is on the top
floors of the tallest building in Osaka.  Fabulous views, and five
floors of food hall...  This is a heated stone bowl.  Cool...

Mornington Peninsula Sisters' Sojourn

Enjoying a weekend away at a coast house on the mornington peninsula, hail and gale force winds outside!
X A and J

A few days in Xiamen

I had some Frequent Flyer points that needed using before September this year, so I headed off last Monday for Xiamen, up the coast a bit, in Fujian province.  It's about an hour's flight from Hong Kong.

When I got to the airport, they had me in an economy seat.  "What's going on here", says I, "I booked Business".  "Sorry, Sir, but the plane has changed and is now all economy".  After a bit of a chat, the manager came over, handed me $400 in cash, a ticket to a leg-room seat, an invitation to the First Class lounge and said that all my points would be re-credited back to my account.  Ironic, huh?  Here was I trying to use my points!...  Anyway, some piccies below, all with my iPhone:

Morning view from my room, Marco Polo hotel.  Looking at the centre
of Xiamen city. Stayed here for two nights, then moved to Lujiang Hotel.

Hulishan Fortress: built in 1894, a relic of the Westernisation Movement.

Tourist are all young Chinese, mostly young women, in funny hats.

The Xiamen "Twin Towers", behind the twin towers of Hulishan Fort
A Sheraton Hotel to be on the top floors, then apartments and offices.
They're just nearing completion.

Waiting for the noon-showtime: Qing soldiers firing cannons...

Bible study on the beach.  Chinese are converting to Christianity in
big numbers, to the somewhat discomfort of the government.

One of Xiamen's beaches, looking towards islands owned by Taiwan.
They used to shoot cannons at each other, now and then.  No more.  There
are direct flights and ferries. Rainy day, but next day turned sunny.

Still life with shells, and...

... still life with phone.
Middle class lady with middle class Honda, smart watch and smart phone.

My driver Mr Wang and the cool Buick. Also has his own iPhone.
(As does pretty much everyone I saw in Xiamen).

The character "Fo", for Buddha, and the donations
box thoughtfully protected by a brolly.
 Nan Putuo Temple, near Xiamen town centre.
Here I bought my handmade clay teapot, with inscribed poem.

A camphor tree with inscription: "Comrade Deng Xiaoping planted this
tree with his own hand, on 10th February 1984".
Xiamen Botanic Gardens, which are very lovely.  Very few tourists!

Cafe-cum-art space, Yundang Lu, trendy street.

My elegant room in the Lujiang hotel on the waterfront, that I moved
to from the Marco Polo when I realised I'd first stayed here in 1983.  Over
100 years old.  In 1983 I'd come on business looking for Joint Venture partner
for Macquarie Worsteds. We ended up doing the JV in Zhangzhou, Australia's
first manufacturing JV in China, officially opened by then PM Bob Hawke.

And the view from the balcony of my Lujiang Hotel room.  Looking at
Gulangyu Island, which is car-free.  When I first went in '83 it was a
quiet tree-lined place of individual villas. It's pretty much the same except zillions
of tourists now: all Chinese. I was the only foreigner.  Gulangyu pop: 16,000,
same as our Discovery Bay, also car-free...

The ferries to Gulangyu go every few minutes.  China is very good at
handling big crowds: easy and seamless service.  Return ticket: 8 Yuan,
about $A1.40.  There are also speed-boat taxis, cost 160 Yuan, about $A 27, not
cheap, but they're all full.  The Chinese middle class: it's everywhere: well-off,
well-fed (increasingly too much so), well clothed (often a bit bizarrely).
I didn't see a single beggar in four days.

Getting round Gulangyu in electric carts.  Round the island ticket is
50 Yuan (about $A 9).  Not cheap, but the middle-class
young tourists fill them up pretty quickly.

Mums and kids in the buggy, tourists from Beijing.  They asked about
the names of the tropical trees on the way around.  The young lady driver didn't
know.  But your's truly, smart-arse that he is, did know and so I told them
the various tree names on the way around.  They said to the driver:
"how come this foreigner knows all the tree names and you don't??"....

Half way round Gulangyu.  The main beach.  Was a bit dark and rainy,
but next day was fine and beach looked a lot better under the sun.

Gulangyu smart shop.  Lovely hand-made clay teapots to which I'm
rather partial.  Clay pots make the best tea!

Gulangyu junk shop. Actually some stuff here that you'd like
to buy; I resist as I'm already full baggage..

"Miss Zhao's Tea and Cake", all around Xiamen: I guess it's a franchise.
This one in Gulangyu and is cute and comfy inside.
Young ladies: the typical tourist demographic in Xiamen.

Gulangyu "Four precious" calligraphy shop: ink, stone, brush and paper.

Aussie meat at Supermarket.  Twice the price of local, but sells
quickly. Ditto Aussie milk, nearly three times the price
it's here in HK, but a quick seller.  The sign says:
"Oz beef: healthy, fresh, high quality". This supermarket
has everything, including 42 varieties of bottled beer!

Gulangyu wedding couples' photos: there are about seven in this piccie.

Gulangyu wedding photos.

Gulangyu wedding, Spanish style.  Mr Cool,
hands in pockets...

Gulangyu wedding photo babe, checks the shots as she gets a re-makover.

Gulangyu selfies.  Again: the Chinese tourist demographic...

Trying out the "Slow shutter" App from my balcony.

Zhongshan road, pedestrian strip, next to my hotel: some fabulous
food on this street, especially if you like Sichuanese and Taiwanese.
Great Dan Dan Noodles, Spicy Fish Soup, "Empty heart" vege...

Hats...

... and more hats

The typical demographic of tourists in Xiamen: young, middle class Chinese.

Still life with fruit, and....

... moving life, with fruit:
Ms Zhao the Passionfruit Purveyor.
She's looking out for the cops. Just after I took this, she
grabbed her box of fruit and scarpered, escaping the law...
A bit later I caught up with her to buy some more as we
can't get them in HK.  Chinese cut a hole and
drink the pulp with a straw; I said I didn't want them
cut, as I wanted to put it on ice-cream. She
was surprised.  "On ice cream!  Imagine!", she said.

The ladies wear all manner of bizarre summery
stuff: note the platform soles peeping out.

More of the typical demographic: young middle class women...

No cars on Gulangyu, so this is how goods get moved about....

Evening from my balcony. And so, it's "good night and good luck"...